Car-step.



No. 653,769. Patented July l7, I900. S. B. FULLER.

CAB -STEP.

pp lo a Sep, 7. Renewe June 14 1 0.) (No' MMMM I.) 2 Shae. eeeeeeee l.

Patented iuly I7, I900. s. B. FULLER.

GAB ST-EP.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1897. Renewed June 14, 1900.)

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFrcE.

SAMUEL B. FULLER, OF PAWTUOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

CAR-STEP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,769, dated July 17, 190 0. Application filed September 13, 1897. Renewed June 14, 1900. Serial No. 20,382. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL B. FULLER, of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Steps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention refers to steps for streetcars, and has for its object to provide auxiliary side steps to accommodate the increased height of the car-platforms made in building the cars to provide more room for the motor under the car. This increased height of the platform has brought the usual step too high from the ground and made it necessary to pro vide another step between it and the pavement. This lower step projecting, asit must, farther from the side of the car is very liable to come in collision with passing teams, the. To obviate this difficulty, this step is made movable, so that it can be turned up out of the way when not required for use. It is fully explained and illustrated in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a car withthe auxiliary steps attached and in a raised position. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the carshowing the step down. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of one of the upper steps and a lower or auxiliary step. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the bolt that holds the step up out of the way and of the electric magnetsthat control the bolts. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the alarm device; Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section of the step and shaft on which it moves on line 6 6, Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 is shown a side elevation of an open electric car provided with a separate movable step to each row of seats and the means by which the steps both singly and collectively are controlled by the conductor or brakeman from anypart of the car. The two sides of the car are alike in construction and operation, so a description of one side will answer for both. A continuous shaft cl is held free to turn in brackets 01 n, attached to the under side of the stationary step A, (see Fig. 8,) one bracket at each end of the shaft and two between each two seats S. A movable step a is held loose on the shaft (Z between each pair of brackets n, and a sprocket-wheel c is made fast on each end of the shaft d, with chains connecting them with sprocket-Wheels e, held on studs in brackets attached to the under sides of the end platforms. (See Fig.2.) An arm Ois made fast to the sprocket-wheel e by one end and is pivoted at its other end to a foot-rod f, which extends up through the platform in convenient position to be operated by the foot, so that the conductor by pushing the rod down with his foot can turn the shaft 61 to bring the steps or a step upright,and a closed spiral-spring it between the arm 0 and the platform will draw the arm up and turn the shaft back when his foot is removed from the head of the rodf. Each end of the car is the same in its arrangements.

The steps a being loose on the shaft at can be let down singly; and when the shaft is turned up by the foot-rodf all the steps that are down will be raised, whether it be'one or more. The steps when raised are caught and held by a bolt t, sliding in through the upper part of the bracket 12, a light spring i pushing the bolt in when the lug 9 on the step has passed it, and a pair of electromagnets b are held directly back of a bar on the back end of the bolt to draw it out when the magnets are energized and let the step down. A light spring L bears on the step to throw it over the center, so it will drop when free, and a lug J is put on the back of the step to strike against a lugj, which is fast on the standard 42 and projects a little to one side over the lug J to prevent the step a from going below a level position. The lug j on the standard 9?. is shown in section where it projects over the lug J on the step in Fig. 5 to show the location of the electric alarm device n in it.

In Fig. 6 is seen'a section of the step a, the

lug J on the inner end of the step, the shaft d, and the lugj', fast on the shaft d, and when To energize the electromagnets and release the steps when desired, the electrocurrent that operates the car-motor is made use of by running a wire 0 from the motor-wire c (see Fig. 3) to a pair of magnets b and thence up to a push-button v on a stanchion R at the end of the seat and from the push-button back to the motor-wire, so that by pushing the button l/ the electric circuit will be closed,

the magnets energized, the boltt drawn back, and the step left free to drop to a level ready to be used. Each step has this arrangement of magnets, wires, and push-buttons, and to enable the conductor to operate the step on the other side of the car a push-button o is put in the stanchion R above the one described and connected by wires with the wires leading to the magnets at the step opposite, so that by pushing on one of the buttons v he can let down any step on the opposite side. To enable the conductor to operate the steps from either end of the car, two rows of pushbuttons 'v 12 (see Fig. 2) are arranged Within easy reach and connected by wires with the step-magnet wires on each side. By this arrangement the steps can be let down from any part of the car, and a swinging catch K, pivoted to the end platform close by the side of the foot rod f, can be turned over the rod when pressed down to turn up a step and prevent the rod from rising and the shaft from turning down, which will prevent any of the steps from being let down by the pushbuttons until the rod 'f is allowed to rise 'see where there is a vacant seat, and by letting down the step opposite that seat direct the passenger where to get on the car, and by holding up the steps with his foot on the rodfhe can in many instances prevent passengers from getting off of the car before it has stopped and so prevent accidents.

To further insure the turnin up out of the way of the steps when not in use, an electric alarm-bell r is placed on the end of the car between the buttons and a connection formed with wires between the bell and the motorwires, with a circuit-closing device n on the lugj, consisting of a sliding pin 5', having one end of the wire 2' attached thereto, a spring at to push the pin down in position to be pushed up by the lug J when the step is down and make connection with the wire on arm 1" to close the circuit and ring the bell until the step is raised again.

Having described myirnprovements, I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a movable step for cars, the combination of a shaft suspended in brackets attached to the permanent step or footboard, a series of steps one for each seat of the car, movably held on said shaft, means for turning said shaft and raising the steps, up vertically, and means for holding them up, out of the way, substantially as described.

2. In a movable car-step, the combination of a shaft held in brackets attached to the upper step or footboard, a series of steps one to each seat of the car movably held on said shaft, with means for turning the shaft to raise the steps, consisting of a sprocket-wheel fast on the endpf the shaft, a sprocket-wheel having an'arm on one side connected with a foot-rod, a bracket attached to the car-platform and supporting the second sprocket-wheel, and a chain arranged to run on said sprocket-wheels,

substantially as described.

3. In a movable car-step, the combination of a shaft held in brackets fast on the upper step or footboard, a series of steps one for each seat on the car, movably held on said shaft, means for turning the shaft to raise the steps,means for holding the steps up, consisting of a bolt for each step held to slide freely in the bracket, and means for withdrawing the bolts to release the steps for use, substantially as described.

4:. In a movable car-step, the combination of a shaft held in brackets fast on the upper step or footboard, a series of steps one for each seat on the car, movably held on said shaft, means for turning the shaft to raise the steps, means for holding the steps up, consisting of a bolt for each step held to slide freely in the bracket, electromagnets placed back of each bolt, wires connected with the motor-wires to energize said magnets, pushbuttons located in various partsof the car to close the electric circuit in said wire and energize said magnets to operate the bolts, substantially as described.

5. In asystem of movable steps for cars the combination of a shaft supported in brackets attached to the permanent step or footboard, a series of steps one for each seat on the car movably held on said shaft, means for turning said shaft and raising the steps up out of the way, and means for ringing an alarm-bell by a step when down and until it is raised, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL B. FULLER.

In presence of M. E. LAWTON, BENJ. ARNOLD. 

